Riley Brown (born 15 October 1984) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby League (NRL). He primarily played as a Hooker.
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| Full name | Riley Brown | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 15 October 1984 Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 99 kg (15 st 8 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Second-row, Hooker, Five-eighth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 8 January 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Background
editBrown was born in Bundaberg, Queensland. He was raised in the town of Singleton, New South Wales where, at 17 years of age, he represented Singleton Greyhounds at first team level.[2]
Playing career
editBrown made his NRL debut on 4 April 2004, for the Newcastle Knights against the St George Illawarra Dragons at WIN Stadium. Brown made seven appearances for Newcastle the following season as the club finished last on the table claiming the wooden spoon.
After playing 40 games for the Newcastle club, Brown was told to look elsewhere after coach Brian Smith's clean-out midway through the 2007 season.[3] Brown was signed by the Sydney Roosters for the 2008 season.[4]
In his first game for the Sydney Roosters, Brown infamously injured South Sydney player Craig Wing in the 8th minute of the match with a shoulder charge into Wing's back while Wing was being held up by two other players.[5] Brown was not charged over the incident.[6][7]
Brown broke his arm in the Roosters' 2008 qualifying final loss to the Brisbane Broncos.[8] He did not return to first grade until round 21 of the 2009 NRL season. Brown made a total of six appearances in 2009 as the Sydney Roosters had a horrid season on the field finishing with the wooden spoon.[9]
Brown joined the Gold Coast Titans in 2010. Brown's last game in first grade was a 16–12 loss against Manly in Round 10 2011. At the end of 2011, Brown was released from the club as the Gold Coast finished with the wooden spoon. It was the players third wooden spoon in his career.[10] After leaving the NRL, Brown played for the Cessnock Goannas, South Newcastle and Central Newcastle.[11]
Personal life
editOn 2 June 2000, Brown's mother Judith was murdered in her Anna Bay home. Brown's father, Ross, was convicted of the crime but Brown believes that his father is innocent.[2][12]
References
edit- ^ "Riley Brown – Career Stats & Summary – Rugby League Project". Rugby League Project.
- ^ a b "The day that changed Knight Riley Brown forever". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 June 2004. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
- ^ "Smith defends Knights cleanout". The Age. Melbourne. 30 May 2007. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
- ^ "OFFICIAL DEBUT NUMBERS". Newcastle Knights.
- ^ Phelps, James; Ritchie, Dean (17 March 2008). "Wing sidelined for months". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
- ^ Jancetic, Steve (17 March 2008). "No charge for Riley Brown over Wing tackle". The Herald Sun. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
- ^ "Men's Honour Roll". Sydney Roosters.
- ^ Walter, Brad (13 September 2009). "Broken arm ends Brown's season". Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
- ^ "The wooden spoon to premier gold? Roosters run recalls league history". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "Eels give Titans thrashing with blunt wooden spoon". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "Riley Brown returns to Cessnock to partner former NRL bad-boy Paul Carter in the halves". www.newcastleherald.com.au.
- ^ Hooper, James (23 March 2008). "Riley's fight to save a family". The Sunday Telegraph. Retrieved 7 September 2009.